Lady Locks

Ingredients

* 1 pound of butter softened
* 1 pound cottage cheese, creamed
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup milk
* 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cup Crisco
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/2cup marshmallow creme

Directions

1. Cream together butter, margarine, cottage cheese, salt and 4 cups of flour. Shape into a 4 inch balls, cover and chill overnight.
2. Roll each ball out individually,with powdered sugar, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into strips about 3/4th inch wide. *Keep dough in the frig and only take out what you are working on. It is very hard to work with if it gets warm.
3. Roll over tubes (you can use clothespins or dowel rods covered with aluminum foil). Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) until brown.
4. To make Filling: Cook milk and 4 tablespoons of flour until thick paste forms. Let cool completely. (I usually make this part before I start baking the dough)
5. Beat shortening and confectioner's sugar until fluffy. Add marshmallow cream and vanilla. Then add COLD paste and beat.(I find that sometimes the paste does not mix in well so I usually cream it real well first,then add Crisco and sugar beat well, then add marshmallow cream and vanilla. This filling needs to be beaten a long time until fluffy. I have a kitchen aid stand mixer and I start it and let it run several minutes.
6. Fill tubes with cream filling, using a pastry bag or cake decorator.

I make these kind of small. One batch makes about 100 if you make them small. I tripled the batch and got about 300. These freeze very well. They would be a lot easier if you just made one batch and made them bigger. I like to give goody plates away at Christmas so like them small like a cookie.

On the forms before baking

Before being filled.

9 hours and 300 lady locks later!